Labrador Friends of the South

A non-profit organization dedicated to the rescue and adoption of homeless Labrador Retrievers in Georgia, Alabama and the entire Southeast region

The Labrador News

How many dogs have you fostered so far?

We are currently fostering number 46! [another foster, Mark, is up to number 44, ndr] I keep a spreadsheet now with their information on it so I can keep them all straight. We started fostering once our kids were grown and we had more time to devote to it. The second one we fostered is still with us - Max -  and we rescued him on the day he was to be euthanized. He is such a part of our family and we can hardly remember a time when he wasn't with us.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Foster Home Special Issue

Vol. 3, No. 1,  2007.  Special Issue

Fostering has many rewards and a few challenges. One of the main challenges is letting your foster go on to their forever home.  For me I equate this to putting a child on the school bus to start school or sending one off to college.  There are tears of sorrow, yet I know that the love and guidance I have provided is the foundation for their lives.  It was my place in their life to nurture them and then let them go so there are also tears of joy as they embark upon their new life. I find happiness and peace, knowing I was able to help a labbie find its way and a family find a new member.

Welcome to the special issue on fostering. We often receive emails asking about fostering so we decided to dedicate an entire issue to this critical part of our organization. Foster homes are the lifeblood of any rescue group and without them we could not survive. Boarding dogs is extremely expensive and really limits the number of labs that we can save. Hopefully after reading this newsletter you will have a better idea of what fostering is, and maybe decide this is something that you could do to help us.

Interviews with a foster parent

Fostering for LFS

Dog of the Month

Dog Tips

Adoption Stories

Last Month’s Adoptions

 

 

 

I often hear people say "I would like to foster but I am worried it will be too hard to let the dog go so I may as well not do it". What can you tell them?

It is hard to let them go sometimes, but there are just so many who need fostering in order to find their forever homes. Labrador Friends does a great job of screening potential adopting families and we always feel good about where they are going. Several of the adopting families keep in touch with us regularly and bring their dogs by so we can see them. And every time a foster finds a new home, there's another great dog waiting to come out of boarding & into our house.

I am sure there are days in which you would rather not have to deal with one more dog. What keeps you going?

Once you start fostering, things kind of get into a routine and that makes it easier. Of course there are days when things don't go just how you'd like, but that's true with anything. Fostering is such a good way to find the right home for a dog. You can tell if they are housebroken, friendly with other dogs and people, scared of thunderstorms, ride well in the car, etc. That allows us to match the dog with the right house.

What do your dogs think about all this coming and going of new friends at the house?

Our dogs are laid back and friendly; they don't seem to mind the company. One of our dogs - Jack - loves having puppies to play with and is patient with them. Buck loves the female dogs and carries his toys around to impress them. Almost all of the dogs we have brought in have gotten along fine with ours.

Do you have any fun stories that you would like to share with us?

India was one of the dogs we fostered and she was a little beagle/lab mix. She was so easy and well-behaved, we gave her the run of the house. Turns out she was swiping my daughter's stuffed animals, along with plenty of other things, and hiding them under the bed. We found her there with all her "treasures" around her.

Fostering is a way to help a dog in need. A foster home is more than just a shelter for a homeless lab. Foster homes provide socialization as well as daily interaction with people and possibly other pets. In many cases, foster parents help their foster adjust to the good life indoors with housetraining as well as teaching basic good manners to prepare their foster for their new home. The evaluations from them foster parents help us evaluate the dog and find a home that best matches the dog’s personality. Dogs that are in fosters home have double the chances of being adopted.

The first step is to fill out an application (on line here for your convenience). Once you are approved we discuss with you which dog would best fit your situation, taking in consideration your home, your family and other pets if you have any. Foster homes don’t really choose who they want to foster as we go by who is next in line, but, of course, we will never give you a dog that is not a good match for you. Forster parents provide food, we pay for the vetting.  As a foster parent you are the one who knows the dog best so we do ask that you come to adoption to talk to the prospective parents.

This is Fred, one our dogs who is in need of a foster home as he has been in boarding for over a year now. The reason he is still in boarding is that he is a special dog who needs a special family and he does not fit any of our regular foster homes.  He is a senior, a little stiff on his legs, who does not need much besides belly rubs, love and understanding. He is not crazy about other male dogs so he needs a home with a laid back female or no other dogs. He is also afraid of thunderstorms but his anxiety is now under control thanks to the right cocktail of medication. He truly is a wonderful dog who needs to be given a chance to show how good he is. Fred even gets along with cats.

 

 

Things Fred loves: belly rubs, going for car rides, lying in the water, meeting new people, his crate.

 

Things Fred is not fond of: thunderstorms, other dogs jumping in his face, being left alone outside his crate.

 

Fred is the perfect dog for an older couple who wants a dog to tag along while running errands and he is a dog that does not need much exercise. Help us get Fred out of boarding and into a foster home, he deserves it.